So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.
The man asked him, “What is your name?”
”Jacob,” he answered.
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” Genesis 32: 24-30
Some would say this is an emotional struggle as Jacob wrestled with his position and place in God’s plan. Or, maybe his doubts fought with God. They would describe his “limping” as being a handicap to his belief.
However, while these explanations fit the metaphor, this encounter is described as a physical struggle (thigh, socket, dislocated, limping, hip all mentioned). Jacob’s doubts and anger boiled to the surface until he let it all out, face to face with God. This physical act also represented a spiritual wrestling going on inside Jacob.
The angel took on a physical form and held back from kicking Jacob’s butt. Maybe God didn’t want the angel to win so he gave the angel only as much strength as Jacob had so it would end in a draw. The goal was not to defeat Jacob, but to wear him down.
In the end, God wanted a physical moment to reveal a spiritual/faith issue. It was better for Jacob to experience it then to just talk to him about it (just as God took Abraham outside to see the stars and relate that to his legacy). For Jacob, the wrestling match changed him so much, he took on a different name.
God puts us through difficult times so we have markers to remember our faith or lack of it. Jacob’s limp reminded him always of this time and of who is always in control.
